Microsoft awards DepEd Cebu as most innovative division

Officials of the Department of Education in the Province of Cebu received yesterday from President Arroyo the Microsoft Award for Most Innovative DepEd Division in the Visayas.

Arroyo was the guest of honor during the Microsoft inauguration of its Southern Philippines office at Asia Town I.T. Park yesterday.

The Cebu Province Division was recognized as one of the Philippines' innovative DepEd divisions besting over 180 teams all over the country and was awarded with training and technology grants totaling nearly P10 million. Other awardees were Muntinlupa in Luzon and Digos City in Mindanao.

The year-long hunt for outstanding DepEd divisions that have successfully integrated information and communications technology in student teaching and learning curriculum is concluded with the announcement or winners of Microsoft Philippines' Partners in Learning search called "Potensyal: Building the 21st Century School System."

The Cebu Province division is one of the largest in the Visayas with 14,000 teaching and non-teaching personnel. The winning ICT plan that awed judges of the Potensyal search involved creating a Document Tracking System (DTS) for receiving and tracking reports and requests and developing its own website which is interactive with downloadable forms, news and information. This website can be accessed on http://www.depedcebu.ph.

The division also has five fully functional ICT Centers, which are equipped with multimedia programs and Internet connectivity to train teachers, administrators and other school personnel. To date, 1,192 teaching and non-teaching personnel have been trained at these ICT Centers. - Gregg M. Rubio